Steps to rehabilitate ex-FATA residents

Immediate steps need to be taken for rehabilitating victims of militancy and other displaced people in the erstwhile federally administered tribal areas (Fata)besides ensuring their safe return.

This was stressed during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) in Islamabad on Tuesday. The committee was chaired by Senator Taj Afridi and heard from representatives of tribes residing in the newly merged tribal districts of Khyber, North and South Waziristan and other adjoining districts.

Tribal representatives briefed the committee about the ground realities of the tribal districts, noting that they were quite different from what is contained in official figures and accounts.

They said that contrary to official accounts, thousands of families displaced from these areas had managed to return to their native areas on their own are still living a miserable life in refugee camps or other temporary accommodation they took up upon their exodus from the tribal belt.

The committee was briefed about the action taken by the authorities regarding relief and compensation paid to the victims.

Senator Aurangzeb Orakzai suggested that the committee personally visit the affected areas and present a set of recommendations after meeting the affected families so the situation can be improved further.

The people of ex-Fata have incurred losses worth billions of rupees, Senator Usman Kakar said, suggesting that the survey process should be extended across the tribal areas quickly.

The committee directed to submit a report on details of overall damage in the tribal areas particularly estimates for the demolished markets, government assistance paid and other related details.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2020.